Helping Children Manage Anger at Parents

Robert Hughes, Jr., Ph.D., Former
Professor, Department of Human Development & Family
Studies, College of Human Environmental Sciences,
University of Missouri-Columbia

Even in the best families, children will sometimes be
angry at their parents. Getting angry at each other is
part of normal family life. However, all children must
learn how to manage their anger without hurting others.

Children get angry at their parents for the same
reasons that they get mad at their friends. They are
frustrated because they can’t do what they want or get
something they want. They get angry in response to
parents’ demands. Or they get angry in response to their
parents’ anger.

Children also get angry at their parents for two
special reasons. They may feel afraid of certain events
or whatever is going on, and they may use the anger to
express or cover up those concerns. Rather than feeling
helpless, children often become angry. Children in
single-parent families may often worry about parents
leaving them or not caring about them, and these
concerns may also trigger anger. And when children go
through changes or surprises in their lives, they may
get angry as a way to get some control. Anger gives them
a sense of power over their lives.

Parents can teach children to understand their anger
and direct their energy toward solving the problem. Help
children learn that anger is a signal that something is
wrong. They need to stay calm and try to correct
whatever is troubling them.

Feelings Are a Signal
Anger is an important feeling. It gives us a signal that
something isn’t right. Or that something is unfair. We
want children to see and understand when they are
feeling tense and uptight, so they can relax and focus
on the problem. Help them realize that screaming and
fighting will not lead to a solution.

We can help children recognize angry feelings by
talking about the signs that signal the anger inside
their bodies. Tense muscles or an upset, churning
stomach are some of the feelings of anger. Ask them to
think of situations that might make them angry. Have
them pretend they are actually getting mad so they can
understand these early signs of anger.

Staying Calm
The next step is to help children learn how to stay calm
when they are feeling angry. Encourage them to remember
to stay calm. The anger will only grow when children
focus on it and say to themselves, “I’d really like to
punch you out,” or “I’m going to let you have it.”
Children can stay calm by saying, “I don’t like this,
but I’m not going to scream and yell,” or “Getting upset
won’t help.” Children can practice these calming
statements by thinking about times when they might be
angry and then saying some calming words to themselves.

In actual situations where children are feeling very
angry, “time-out” can be used to help them calm down. If
children scream and yell or become violent, remove them
from the situation. Send them to their room and have
them spend that time calming down. Encourage children to
take their own “time-out.” They can excuse themselves
from the situation and go away to calm down. Help
children learn how to manage anger by making sure that
they don’t get their way by being aggressive.

Some people think that beating on a pillow or tearing
something up will help get the anger out. This just
doesn’t work. While it may seem better to take it out on
some object rather than on a person, the aggressive
feelings will probably not go away. Rather than beating
up the anger, children need to find ways to use the
anger to focus on the problem.

Attention to the Problem
Once children learn how to stay calm in frustrating and
conflict situations, they can start focusing on the
cause of those feelings. Here again, parents might
encourage them to say to themselves, “I should just stay
calm and try to understand why this is unfair,” or “I’m
not going to let this person get to me.” Help children
talk about what’s bothering them and explain their
feelings. As parents, we know that we can’t always do
what our children want, but we can explain to them when
we can’t do some things.

Sometimes as parents we are clearly wrong, or we
haven’t thought things through. We must remember that
it’s okay to change our minds when children can offer
good ideas and suggestions for doing something else.
Parents should never give in to aggression, but they
should give in to good, clear reasoning. When we work
with children as they try to solve problems, we teach
them that it’s okay to be angry as long as they stay
calm and focus on solving the problem. Even when there
is no way to change the situation, we can praise
children for trying to solve the problem without being
aggressive.

Our Own Anger
At a very early age, children learn how to make their
parents angry. They see how we manage anger, and that
becomes a model for how children manage their anger.
Using punishment such as spanking will teach children
that it’s all right to be aggressive when they are
angry. One of the nice things about time-out is that it
lets the child calm down, and it lets the parent calm
down too. It is important for children to see that when
we are angry we are also trying to stay calm and focus
on the problem.

This works not only when we are angry at our
children, but also at other people. When we are angry at
friends, relatives, an ex-spouse, or others, it is
important that we manage these feelings. We should
practice staying calm and addressing the problems. Not
only will this provide a model for children, but it will
also help solve the problem.

Love and Security
Remember that anger is sometimes the result of feeling
afraid or helpless. When children know that they are
loved and cared for, they are less likely to feel that
way. Remind them that they are important and that they
are worthy of our love and respect. By finding out what
children are thinking and feeling and by spending time
with them, we show that we care. In the long run, this
will reduce their anger, but it may take time.

Children also need to feel safe and secure. This
helps them feel that they have some control over what
happens in their lives. And it reminds us how important
it is for children to have routines in their lives.
Bedtime, mealtimes, and school and weekend activities
should all happen regularly, which will help put order
in their lives. Of course there will always be some
changes. And as parents we should help children be
prepared for changes. If you are moving or changing
jobs, let children know what is going to happen. Even
when children don’t like the change, you can answer
their questions and assure them that there will be a
routine again.

By providing children with love and security and
helping them understand how to stay calm and solve
problems, parents can help children manage their anger
very well.

Discussion Questions
Use the following questions when you talk with children
about being angry at parents.

Kids sometimes are angry with their parents.
Have you ever felt angry at your parents? What makes
you feel angry at them?

Why or why not? What can your parents say or do
to help you calm down when you are angry?

How can you tell when you’re angry? How do you
look? How do you feel on the inside?

When you are angry, what can you do to calm
yourself down?

Sometimes it helps to tell others when you are
angry and to explain why you are angry. Can you
think of something that makes you angry and then
tell me how you feel and what you think we can do
about it?

Activity
Together with your children, think of some conflicts you
have had. They might be when you wouldn’t let them go to
a favorite friend’s house because they had homework or
hadn’t done their chores. Act out these situations.
Encourage children to talk about how it feels to be
angry and then practice calming down. Also, try talking
about different solutions to the problem.